


Cabin Fever

by FortunesRevolver



Category: Persona 4
Genre: F/M, Just look at the answers you can give in Junes., Souji is a Troll., Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 18:30:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13530084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FortunesRevolver/pseuds/FortunesRevolver
Summary: Of the many bizarre experiences in her life, this was one of the last Naoto ever imagined finding herself in again. A cabin with no power is far from the New Year's vacation they'd hoped for, but perhaps, warming up won't be quite so hard.





	Cabin Fever

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always a little nervous to be posting in the Persona 4 fandom after I took such a long hiatus, but I truly hope I've been able to stay true to the characters. Especially these two. They're still one of my most favourite ships (and characters) in the whole world of fandoms.
> 
> This story was requested by _nestw_ of tumblr. I dearly hope that you enjoy it.

If the situation hadn’t held a certain level of seriousness to it, Naoto might have found it comical. Her eyes swept over her darkened surroundings with a mixed sensation of concern and amusement. The wooden walls of the cabin were well insulated, but with no heat source, they could only do so much against the raging storm outside. For now, she’d simply take pleasure in the thick comforter Souji had cocooned her in on the sofa before slipping outside.

A loud _whump_ sounded outside and Naoto jumped, her head jerking in the direction of the door as a second _whump_ followed shortly after. Fear bubbled in her chest as her body tensed, coiled and ready to leap to her feet as one arm wormed its way further into the blanket where her revolver sat hung from the holster on her thigh. She knew better than to believe Rise’s overly concerned ramble about bears, but Souji was outside alone, and if there was a bear--

Naoto’s thoughts stopped and she leaned back in the chair with an audible sigh.

Of course. Souji was outside. Alone.

She waited a moment, holding her breath as she strained her ears, and sure enough, a surprisingly clean, but still colourful string of words followed and she relaxed.

Heaven only knew what he managed to do to himself when he was completely surrounded by at least a foot of soft, fluffy snow.

Reluctantly, Naoto crawled out of the warm blanket and started toward the door. As much as she didn’t want to outside in a snowstorm, Souji _was_ out there and very possibly hurt.

She’d barely had the chance to grasp her coat before the door was thrown open. Icy wind flowed into the cabin and Naoto yelped, jumping away as the door bounced off the wall and a snow-covered figure tumbled inside, followed by several thick logs that rolled in after and bumped into the fallen figure’s side.

“...welcome back, senpai,” Naoto shook her head and nudged Souji’s legs from the door’s path with her foot. The wind put up a fight, but with a rough shove, she managed to get the door shut and locked it. “Having fun, are we?”

“It was _brutal_ ,” Souji lamented and threw an arm over his face. “I almost didn’t make it.”

Any concern Naoto might have had immediately evaporated and she knelt down with a soft snort to collect the logs. “How horrible.”

“It was.” Souji nodded earnestly and peered up at her with a pitiful pout. “The generator is _broken.”_

“So we deduced before you went out,” Naoto hummed and grabbed another log. “Was finding wood difficult?”

“Horribly.” Souji sat up slowly and began rubbing his face in an effort to get feeling back into his cheek. Truth be told, he’d found a large wood box in the cabin’s backyard that, much to his relief, was well-stocked. “I dropped the lid on my _hand.”_

“The… lid?” Naoto paused, halfway through the motion of tossing a log into the fireplace. “Ah. That would explain why it’s so dry. I’m grateful they don’t neglect upkeep of their properties.”

Souji pouted again and shrugged out of his coat, eager to cast aside his damp layers and kicked his boots to the rack. His childish attempts for attention usually fell short, but this was just cruel. After he’d thrown himself at the mercy of the storm to bring them warmth too.

“We might have to cut it off,” he continued and dug through his abandoned bag near the kitchen. He knew he’d packed those extra patches for a reason. “Teddie bit it once, I don’t think I ever recovered. The lid must have finished it off.”

“As concerned as I am for your… injury,” Naoto rolled her eyes, “I can hardly be of much help without any light. Once we get the fire started, I’ll see if you truly require an… operation.”

Souji froze, his eyes darting over to Naoto’s and an audible gulp filled the room. Right. He’d forgotten Naoto had no qualms about weapons or other potentially deadly objects. He’d seen her precision with firearms and daggers alike; it wouldn’t have shocked him if, at some point, she _had_ learned to amputate limbs somehow.

He shuddered and made his way over to the fireplace, kneeling down. “I couldn’t find much for tinder,” he muttered, poking at the thin layer of ashes that lined the bottom. “Everything was too wet.”

“I’ve already taken that into consideration.” Naoto stood and unbuttoned the light jacket she’d tugged on in the hopes an extra layer might help hold heat. From one of the inner pockets, she produced a notebook she turned over in her hand several times with a sullen expression before she held it out. “Use this.”

“Naoto…”

“There’s plenty of blank pages in the back.” She shrugged and gave it a small wave. “It will hardly be useful to me should we freeze out here. A notebook is far more easily replaced than our fingers.”

Souji nodded in silence and took the notebook with an apologetic smile. The paper combined with a mysterious _something_ Naoto had poured from a small bottle she’d produced from her pocket -- a something she’d only smiled about when asked and silently refused to elaborate on further -- had a warm fire going in minutes.

“This is much better…” Naoto sighed, her shoulders relaxing as she edged closer to the hearth and held her hands closer to the flame. “So long as we’re able to maintain this, the first floor should be tolerable enough until we’re able to seek help in the morning.”

“It’s too bad there isn’t a TV here. It’s probably much warmer on the other side.”

“I think,” Naoto began, giving Souji a reproachful look, “we’ve had enough lessons to teach us the consequences of entering at random points.”

“Ouch,” Souji placed a hand over his chest. “Detective you _wound_ me. If looks could kill…”

“You’d be mildly injured at best,” Naoto held her hand out and wiggled her fingers in an inviting motion. “Now let  me see your hand.”

“Ah…” Souji hesitated, but followed her command as he placed his in hers with a sheepish smile. “It’s really not that bad, I just--ow--just banged it a little. Ow, okay, that hurt, but--ow!”

“Hm…” Dark eyebrows drew together as Naoto poked several other points on the dorsal side of his hand. Her fingers were gentle in their exploration, carefully withdrawing when he indicated pain and inquired further with gently murmured questions. “I would normally recommend a cold compress, but I am hesitant to expose you to further cold when you already feel frigid.”

“It’s fine, really,” Souji smiled and made a fist several times to prove his point. It hurt, but at least he could move it without trouble. “I think I’ll make it, don’t you?”

“Most likely,” Naoto chuckled, smoothing out his fingers as she looked him over again. “You’ll bruise, most certainly, but I have medication in my bag to help with pain and swelling. Should it get worse, I have numerous adherent and cloth wraps in my medical kit.”

“Always prepared for anything, hm?”

“As any good detective should be,” Naoto countered and cradled Souji’s hand in her own. “...though perhaps it was our previous cases in that world which has prompted me to expand my medical knowledge and supplies.”

“My hand and I are grateful,” Souji curled his fingers slowly and captured several of Naoto’s under his own. “Really. I’ll be alright.”

“Perhaps…” Naoto cleared her throat and shifted her weight, wiggling where she sat. “But… that is, I suppose I could offer you some… unorthodox treatment.”

“...uh,” Souji looked down at his hand, trying to decipher if he should be concerned or not. He had nothing against home remedies or herbal salves, and certainly Naoto would never offer him anything harmful knowingly. But unorthodox? “What--”

His words caught in his throat as Naoto slowly raised his their joint hands and bent down. Even with the numbing chill still lingering, he could feel the soft brush of lips against his skin. Heat quickly spread through his face as something in his chest fluttered in delight. _Oh._

Naoto sat up quickly, her own cheeks mirroring the colour in his as she looked pointedly at the fire and coughed. “I… That is, Rise once told me that… It’s quite silly, really, but she said that whenever she got hurt as a child--there’s absolutely no evidence or logic which would back her claim, but--”

“...it feels better,” Souji murmured, his lips curling into a soft smile as he brought his hand up to turn her face back. “Much better.”

“Y-you don’t have to lie,” Naoto shifted again and her cheeks darkened further. “It was childish, really. I just…”

“It helped,” Souji insisted, his tone firm. “You did a perfect job, doctor. However…”

“...however?”

“Me knee hurts too.” Souji grinned and pointed to his leg. “I landed on it when I fell inside.”

Naoto's gaze fell, following the path of Souji's finger to his knee. A moment of silence passed between them as she bent forward to closer examine his knee as Souji looked on with hopeful eyes.

“Hm,” she clicked her tongue and straightened with a shrug. “Pity.”

Much to Souji’s delight, his antics paid off, and soon, soft laughter filled the air as Naoto brought a hand to her mouth and tried to muffle herself. He could see her shoulders relaxing as the tension of the situation began to melt away. Even the room seemed to be warming up quicker now.

“You know,” Souji reached back and grabbed Naoto’s abandoned comforter and tossed it over his shoulders, opening his arms in a silent invitation. “This isn’t so bad. At least it’s comfortable in here. And clean. The last cabin we got stuck in was a mess.”

Naoto’s nose wrinkled at the memory as she crawled forward and turned around, settling her back against Souji’s chest. Her heart raced in her chest as his arms wrapped around her and effectively closed them both in the blanket.

“This really smart girl I knew once told me that cuddling close helped you stay warm in situations like this,” he mused, humming. “I looked it up later, and it turns out she was right. But usually people say you’re supposed to strip.”

“W-what?!” Naoto jerked around in his grasp, her elbow narrowly missing his stomach as Souji began to laugh again. “You must be-- _Souji Seta._ There is absolutely _no way_ I am--”

“I’m kidding, Naoto,” Souji shook his head.

“You are absolutely insufferable,” Naoto scoffed and turned around with a loud huff. “That sounds like a joke _Hanamura_ would make.”

“I’m sure he’d be sufficiently punished for it too,” Souji chuckled and curled forward, resting his chin on Naoto’s shoulder. “We’re not in a situation _that_ bad. I think we’ll be plenty warm like this.” He paused, and then added, “...if this is okay?”

Naoto paused and tried to grasp some sort of control over herself. Souji was close, so close, and each time one of them would shift more than a few inches, a pair of beeps sounded from somewhere within the blanket to remind them of just how close they were.

Less than a meter apart.

“I…” Naoto cleared her throat and shifted, allowing herself to fall back against Souji’s chest properly and rest her cheek against his collarbone. This, she could admit, was nice. Perhaps much nicer if they’d had a working heater and lights, but, had the generator not gone out, they might not have ended up like this.

The fire was nice, anyway. It added to the rustic atmosphere. It felt much more like a genuine forest experience. Or as genuine as a rented cabin could offer.

“...this is okay,” she nodded, her voice soft.

“Mm.” She felt Souji nod in response and adjust his arms to better accommodate her position. The strong, rhythmic pulse of his heart echoed in her ear and she pressed closer, listening.

“I think,” he began in a low tone, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere, “once we get another log on the fire, I could make us something to eat.”

“I’ve not had a campfire meal in some time.” She’d gone camping plenty of times before when she was younger, but her grandfather’s age had restricted their outings. It was something she’d missed, but never allowed herself to voice. After all, there was plenty they could still do inside. “Given your normal cooking prowess, I’ve no doubt it will be delightful as always.”

“I appreciate the confidence,” Souji hummed, “I haven’t had one since that school trip.”

“The Yasogami camping trip, yes?” Naoto peered up, curious, “I had thought Amagi and Satonaka were the cooks that evening.”

Souji blanched, his entire body going rigid as an acidic taste rose in the back of his throat. He _really_ never wanted to think about that experience again.

“...they were,” he nodded and tried not to gag.

“And you lived to tell the tale,” Naoto commended with an amused look. “Truly a testament to your survivability.”

“Something like that,” he shook his head. “I’ll strive to make this experience less… purple.”

“...purple?” If she had wanted to press further, she didn’t, and Souji was grateful for it. Mystery Food X had died that day as it was supposed to. “I see.”

“I’ll think something up soon,” he tightened his arms and leaned back until he hit the side of the sofa. “For now…”

“For now,” Naoto hummed and closed her eyes, “let us focus on warming up.”

“...yeah,” Souji smiled faintly and looked down, freeing his arm briefly to brush hair from Naoto’s face before he huddled back down under the blanket. “Sounds good.”

A soft trill of double beeps sounded, voicing their approval.

 

**Author's Note:**

> As we all know, the dinner was absolutely wonderful. Souji is a God in the kitchen.


End file.
